Shawn Lucas is the self identified "Noob of All Trades". He is married and the father of three boys, two of whom help with their own podcast every couple of months. Raised on Atari, Nintendo, and Sega, he enjoys all games and will play all of them to the best of his ability, which is often average at best. Currently, he is most interested in Magic, Heroclix, and other games that he can play with Chris and his sons.
I found myself getting annoyed with this game again towards the end of the Celestials season. I played just enough to get all of the awards from the season pass and then gave up for the past few days. And, even though Marvel SNAP July 2024 brings Deadpool in time for the movie at the end of the month, I’m not terribly excited about the actual contents of this month’s season. Oh well, this happens from time to time with SNAP. I’ll be back into the game once they release some cool cards again.
New Locations
Neither of these locations impress me terribly. Weapon X is obviously nice for a Disco deck, but I rarely play those. I’ve been having fun with my Skaar deck. Now that I think about it, I have played that deck quite a bit. Maybe that’s why I’m bored. I need to switch it up. Well, in any case, the Chimichanga from the Taco Truck is an 0/2 that merges with a card when played. That can be a fun one with the right cards.
New Characters
After each turn, this moves if a player snapped.
Image 1 of 5
Perhaps I was too hasty in judging this season. None of the characters themselves are terribly exciting. However, I like many of their powers and think that in the right decks they can be a lot of fun. Gwenpool looks like fun in my “ones” deck as a late game buff to give me options. Hydra Bob is just dumb fun, much like his character. I’m going to see Ajax in a bunch of debuff decks, but I don’t play that style, so I probably won’t run him often other than the quest. However, might need to slot good old Shang Chi in as a counter. Copy Cat involves too much randomness for my tastes. I don’t think there’s a way to intentionally bottom a card in your opponent’s deck, so until that happens, no Copy Cat for me. In the right deck, Cassandra Nova is a bomb and can also fuel Ajax. Hmm, mabye I will try to put something together to inspire me to play more.
The Verdict
Marvel SNAP July 2024 actually fooled me. While the characters themselves are kind of boring or annoying, I ended up liking their powers and possibilities. It’s been a while since I’ve done a deck list. Maybe I will fiddle around with Cassandra and Ajax to see what I come up with. Keep an eye on this page for updates.
Well, it seems as if Deadpool really killed 2 Generations Gaming, as I went into a 3 day unintentional hibernation. But, I’m back and ready to bring the usual articles, start up the Poppy War for Noob’s Book Club, and pilot a new version of the daily RPG calendar next week. The funny thing is that I read the issues for DC Comics July 2024 on Tuesday and just kept putting off the article for some reason. Well, no more.
The Flash 9 and 10
Writer: Simon Spurrier, Artist: Ramon Perez. I received these books in this shipmment, but didn’t read them. I’m having trouble getting into Spurrier’s Flash. To be honest, I haven’t liked Flash since Joshua Williamson wrote for the book. More on him in a bit.
Detective Comics 1085 and 1086
Writer: Ram V, Artist: Various. Look, you all know that I like Ram V and his writing style. And, I respect him for the chocie he made on this story. It just hasn’t hit for me like some of his other stories on other books. Maybe he style just isn’t right for what I want from Batman and Detective Comics. My verdict: Decent
Batman 148 and 149
Writer: Chip Zdarsky, Artist: Jorge Jimenez and Michele Bandini. The Zur story was good for what it is, but I personally didn’t enjoy it all that much. Now that it’s over, after the next issue that gets super sized for 150, I want to see what Zdarsky does with the Dark Knight. My verdict: Decent.
Catwoman 66 and Wonder Woman 10
Catwoman and Wonder Woman Writers: Tini Howard and Tom King. Artist: Various on both titles. Catwoman, on the other hand, is very good and bordering on great during the 9 Lives story. It’s cliche, but Howard handles it with a deft touch and makes it less so. I’m going to be sad to see this story go. It took me a while to warm up to Tom King on Wonder Woman, but now that he has his feet under him, I think that good things are on the horizon for the book. My verdict: Good.
House of Braniac (Action Comics 1066 and Superman 15)
Writer: Joshua Williamson, Artist: Rafa Sandoval. I’ve said a few times before that I always hated Superman growing up. His character just never worked in my rebelious teenage brain. A few years ago, BMB made me care about the character again and more recently, Joshua Williamson made me love the character. He is at the height of his powers on this mini event with Braniac and Lobo joining the Super Family for an adventure that just zips by. I read both of these books so quickly because the pacing works so well. Bravo. My verdict: Great.
The Verdict
Similar to recent months, none of the books in DC Comics July 2024 offended me outright. I’m just not a huge fan of The Flash as a rule, so don’t take my putting that book to the side the wrong way. It looks like they are gearing up for a larger event in the form of Absolute Power, so we’ll see how that goes. For now, I like what I’m seeing from DC.
After a successful Fallout from the end of School last month, we come to another celebration on the page. Deadpool and Wolverine releases at the end of the month. That gave me the bright idea to feature Deadpool and Marvel comics. Before we get to all of that, though, naturally, I need to write my comics reviews first. With the TMNT hiatus, that means this month is Spawniverse July 2024.
Gunslinger 32
Writer: Uncle Todd, Artist: Carlo Barberi. A few months ago, Uncle Todd promised new creative teams and new directions for the books. I won’t take direct credit for that, but I will say that I wrote numerous times that the books seemed to have lost their way. He alludes to this during one of the conversations in this issue. I won’t say that the book is all the way back. But, the intro scene with he and Linda made me laugh and I expect more out of the finale because that was far too easy. My verdict: Good
King Spawn 34 and 35
Writer: Uncle Todd, Artist: Jason Shawn Alexander. When he said new creative teams, apparently that meant taking over writing duties instead of “additional plot”. At the very least, that brings some consistency to the stories. In this one, Al rescues Nana or Grannie or Auntie or whatever and finds her a vampire (the only supernaturals with powers right now) as a guard. However, this king doesn’t stay ascendent for long. Then, he runs into some trouble in the alley. A gang jumps him. Without his powers, they fuck him up pretty good. I want to see where this is going. Additionally, I know JSA’s art isn’t for everyone. It took a while to grow on me, but I like it. Especially for this title. Lends it an ethereal vibe that’s almost dreamline. My verdict: Good
The Scorched 30
Writer: Layman with Uncle Todd on Additional Script, Artist: Stephen Segovia. I thought this one maintained the most consistency quality wise during the “lull”. I liked the characters and the stories the best out of all of the Spawniverse. Then, when Layman (one of my favorite comics writers) came on, I knew good things were on the horizon. Sure enough, it started to pay off here. The Scorched, even without Jessica (who spends more time dead or unconscious that most team leaders) cripple Winn’s agency by freeing Overt-Kill and allowing for the escape of Haunt and Redeemer. That all sets up quite a payoff next issue with Winn visiting Jessica and the team trying to get to the bottom of the cloning mystery. My verdict: Good, bordering on Great.
Spawn 354
Writer: Rory McConville with Uncle Todd on Additonal Script, Artist: Brett Booth. I think the main title suffered the most during the “lull”. Just an inconsistency in tone and story telling. You can blame that on the dilusion due to the new titles, but I disagree. I think they just focused too much on the heaven and hell angle and ignored the other parts of what makes the book fun. And, if you think about it, they removed al l of the powers from the characters, so that forces them to focus more on the “real world” and the boots on the ground, so to speak. Call me in a few months when I miss the supernatural part of the story. For now, though, I like what they’re doing. My verdict: Good.
The Verdict
They continue the upward trend with Spawniverse July 2024. Thankfully, because as I wrote, they changed teams on TMNT, so I won’t get another one of those for a month or so when it starts back up again. I like Jason Aaron and I trust him, but Chris makes a good point. They need to change the tone big time to fit his style.
As I wrote in the plot summary, we arrive at the end of Fallout From the End of School 2024 with the Fallout episode 8, last episode of the first season. I say first season because they greenlit the second season. Now, we wait 2 or 3 years for them to write, film, edit, and release. Thankfully, you all have Fallout Final Fridays to keep you through. A lot in this episode, so let’s get started.
Cooper gets blind sided. He finally hears what his wife thinks of the end of the world, the vaults, and the aftermath. They pull the old rope-a-dope with her talking initially about her children and the future of the kids before pulling out the rug and ensuring that while their future will be okay, the same can’t be said for countless others. Because, after all, what kind of world is it when the cheap suits are in charge. Hint: Take a look around you.
Lucy, too, learns that everything she knew was a lie. Her father is a monster who nuked an entire town out of existence because his wife decided that she was happier without him and his insistence to live in a sardine can. Her mother is ghoulified, but kept alive out of Moldaver’s loyalty to her and their dreams of bringing unlimited power to the poor dregs who live in the Wasteland.
Norm mirrors his sister’s journey with Bud the Brain Roomba as his guide. He learns about Bud’s dumb ass idea to save the world and then gets trapped in Vault 31 with the psychotic micro manager. Perhaps for centuries? I doubt that. Norm will find a way.
Max uses the Brotherhood to bring him back to Lucy before discovering that what Dane says might just be true. Nowhere is safe, not even the idyllic vault where he and Lucy will live happily ever after. The Ghoul comes very close to finally getting the answer he’s been waiting 200 years for before Hank gives him the slip once again.
Cold fusion fires up the lights in the Wasteland. The Brotherhood salute Max as a conquering hero. Lucy finds herself again with The Ghoul and Dogmeat. And Hank stands before the town of New Vegas. What awaits them all? We just have to wait and see.
Character Profiles
Every single character saw some part of their life upended in this episode. In many cases, everything they thought they knew was a lie. Lucy reacts with her usual kindness and forces her father to give Moldaver the code. Hank lashes out at Moldaver, calling her a liar and just as bad as him. Max still wants to spend his life with Lucy and stupidly tries to fight off armored Hank
Norm, bad ass that he is, immediately goes to tell the rest of the dwellers about Bud’s Buds. Everything he suspected was true and, yet, he’s still shocked by the sheer madness of it all. Only The Ghoul escapes unscathed, but that’s only because his reality shattered 200 years ago with the revelation that his wife and her cohorts planned the entire thing to bring their insane plans to life through the glory of capitalism.
World Building and Setting
We finally get an answer to “What happened to Shady Sands?” Actually we get the answer to the question, “Who…?” For those who haven’t played the games, they get a glimpse into the behind the scenes machinations that brought the horrors of the vaults to life. At the end of the show, numerous viewers no doubt ran to one Wiki or another to verify the location at the end of the episode.
However, the star of the episode is Moldaver’s encampment that grew out of the destruction of Shady Sands. It represents everything that I hope out of a post apocalyptic civilization. I just hope that we learn from our mistakes and work together. A pipe dream, I know, but more likely with less people in that society. Not that I advocate for the end of society. Simply that I’ve thought about it. And, I have ideas.
Themes and Social Commentary
Wow, they put it all out there in this episode. The greed of corporations vs. the benign scientists. Less heavy on the communism vs. capitalism this time. But, they laid out that argument in the last episode quite nicely. Besides, it’s not communism vs. capitalism. It’s regulated vs. unregulated. When there are no guard rails, the capitalists will drive us all off a cliff.
When there’s nobody left to fight, who will fight? The answer, everyone. You think that if the Nazis actually succeeded in wiping out the Jews, they’d stop there? No. They’d keep going, getting more and more specific until two guys left just stabbing each other because of eye color or some other nonsense. The utopia, on either side, is simply not sustainable.
Is anywhere truly safe? Yes, you can make your area safe. My house is safe for me and my family. Also, for anyone else who wants to visit and doesn’t cause a ruckus. Does that mean violence cannot happen here? Of course not. But, the violence will come from outside and it will be dealt with. I can promise you that.
What would you do with unlimited power? They wrap it in the concept of cold fusion, but it represents the power to rule and control. Moldaver handed it off to the people. Whoever gets it next won’t be so giving, I promise you that.
Narrative Structure, Pacing, and Soundtrack
They opted for much shorter scenes this time around and more rapid transitions. This allowed them to drop bomb after bomb (pun intended) and each of them hit just as hard. Consequently, the pacing felt quick but manageable. Again, since only one reveal happened each time, you can catch your breath before the next.
Allowing the story to tell itself, they leaned less on the soundtrack this time. Only two actual songs in the whole episode. One to emphasize Max’s efforts to get to Lucy. The other told the story of The Ghoul, DogMeat, and Lucy striking off to find her father again. Another understated but good choice by the production team.
The Verdict
All I have to say is, Wow. This is how you do a season finale. Everything that they built up over the season gets resolved. Not only that, but they keep just enough loose ends open that you want to come back for more. I have often said that a poor ending can otherwise derail a great effort. That isn’t the case here. They stuck this landing. Fallout episode 8 goes down as one of the best episodes in recent memory.
Back when I wrote, like way back in high school when I still harbored dreams of making something with my writing, I started a novella called Under the Mushroom Cloud: A Post Apocalyptic Love Story. I probably still have the notes around here somewhere. I named the nuclear event “The End” and wrote the story with the idea that after the end, things still happen. Some of that turns up in Fallout and Robert Kirkman said that The Walking Dead meant to tell such a story.
I only say this because I definitely have some talent for storytelling. I’ve just never been a good salesman and that’s ultimately what sunk me as a writer. The good news is that I still get to write for this page. The bad news is nobody reads my writing. Oh well.
What Makes Me Special?
What Makes Me Special?
Note: If you never played the Fallout games, they organized character stats into the acronym, SPECIAL. In the interest of time, I consulted a walkthrough for the game.
Strength: 4
Perception: 4
Endurance: 2
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 8
Agility: 2
Luck: 1
Name: Lucy. Yes, I became that which I hate and use names from other pop culture related to the games. Sue me.
After the end and Into the Vault
My husband and I woke up and perform our morning bathroom routine together. I go first so that I can check on our baby, Shaun. He’s doing great, so I head into the kitchen to get some coffee. Our Mr. Handy, Codsworth meets me with some coffee. As my husband, Nate, comes into the kitchen, Shaun starts fussing. Codsworth goes to attend to him as there’s someone at the door.
A Vault-Tec rep gives me the pitch about our place in the local vault, 111, due to Nate’s service. I sign the papers in spite of the fact that I hope it doesn’t come to that. Nate assures me that it was the right choice. Just some paperwork for piece of mind? Codsworth tells me that in spite of being changed, Shaun still fusses. I make my way to his crib and play with him a little Nate joins me and we admire our young son.
Codsworth again interrupts, telling us that we need to come see. On the news, the reporter says that both New York and Pennsylvania have been attacked with nuclear bombs. An alert tells all citizens to make their way to the vault. Nate, Shaun, and I run to the barrier. We are met by a soldier who waves us through even as he threatens those not on the list. Those poor, poor people.
Another soldier leads us to the lift. We take our spots. The lift starts to descend. A flash in the distance. A mushroom cloud. The seismic wave passes over us just as we get below ground level. Someone makes the comment that if we were only a minute later. Good God.
Decontamination
We walk up some stairs to an area. A woman hands us vault suits and a doctor leads us to the decontamination area. I enter mine and watch as Nate carries Shaun into the on opposite me. A gas is released and I start to feel tired. It gets colder. Wait, this isn’t decontamination!
Awake Once
What, what just happened? How much time has gone by? Was I just dreaming? Are we ready? Two soldiers open Nate’s chamber. They try to take Shaun. Nate fights them. The soldiers shoot Nate. What the hell are you doing? As they leave, they look into my chamber and say, “At least we have a backup ready.” What the hell does that mean?
After the End of the Vault (Out of Time)
My chamber door opens. I see Nate dead in his. Alarms sound all around and a voice urgs me to leave the vault in an orderly fashion. Well, me and the other dwellers. But, there’s nobody else here. I slowly make my way through the corridors, picking up things that may be useful. Tools, cigarettes, small appliances. Eventually, I make it into the Overseer’s office. Someone is dead on the floor. What the is going on? What the hell happened? Is everyone else dead?
I boot up the computer and look through the records. Apparently, the vault meant to test the effects of long term suspension on unwilling subjects. What the hell? Also, the last days of the vault sound grim. Starvation, killing, and the eventual meltdown that opened my chamber. Good God.
I fight off radroaches on the way to the vault door. Along the way, I find more supplies, including a 10mm pistol and some ammo. That will come in handy, I’m sure. The vault door requires aPip Boy to open. This poor fella here with his arm detached has one. Well, he won’t need it. I open the vault door, descend the steps, and step onto the platform.
Into the Wasteland…
The Verdict
I remember when I first played Fallout 4 and after the end, you play through the vault. It reminded me very much of Fallout 3 but you now lost your son instead of your father. Still, an engaging story and kept me entertained through the introduction and some tutorial nonsense.
Note: I used this page for my stats. I chose the tinkerer build.
I thought Christine was going to hang out with her old friends from Warwick. She planned to do so. However, she decided to stay home. Therefore, my plan to record the first episode of “The Poppy War” for Noob’s Book Club gets put on hold for now. So, I flipped the script and decided to write my journal for the first 19 years in Fallout 3.
What Makes Me Special?
Note: If you never played the Fallout games, they organized character stats into the acronym, SPECIAL. In the interest of time, I consulted a walkthrough for the game.
Strength: 9
Perception: 1
Endurance: 9
Charisma: 1
Intelligence: 9
Agility: 2
Luck: 9
Name: Lucy. Age: 19. Yes, I became that which I hate and use names from other pop culture related to the games. Sue me.
2258 (A Star Is Born)
I hear a voice. “Are you a boy or a girl?”
How do I remember being born? I don’t know, but the memory is so vivid. I see my father and my mother. The voice again, “Oh look, we have a daughter.” Then another voice, “A daughter. A beautiful baby girl.”
The first voice, my father, says, “You have a bright future. You look just like your daddy.” Mom’s monitor speeds up and then flatlines. Dad orders someone to get me out of the room so that he can try to save your mother.”
One Year Later (A Born Explorer)
“Come now, Sweetie. Walk to Daddy.” I toddle over to him in the pen. “Okay, I hate to leave you her alone, but you’ll be okay while I take care of some business.”
As soon as he leaves, I open the gate and start exploring the room. I see a book on the ground and pick it up. There are silly pictures in the book and they make me giggle. Dad enters as I’m flipping through the book. “Goodness me, you’re quite the explorer. Your mother would be proud. Let me show you something. It was her favorite passage from the book.” Dad reads it to me.
“Now, let’s go visit your friend Amata.”
9 Years Later (Surprise!)
Nine years later and still friends with Amata. She and my father put together a surprise birthday party for my 10th birthday. I visit with guests and receive gifts; a sweet roll, a poem, a Pip Boy 3000 (wow!) and a fight with Butch. That guys a douche, but he’s gonna get his eventually.
When I meet up with Dad again, he tells me to go meet Jonas down on the reactor level. I make my way down there. “Hey, what are you doing down here? There are no kids allowed.” I stammer, “Uh, but my dad said to meet you here.” “I’m just kidding.” He assures me. Dad joins us too and gives me a last present, a BB gun. he takes me into a shooting range and I practice by shooting three targets and a Radroach that wandered in. Time for a picture.
3 Years Later (Off on that Adventure)
Amata wakes me in a panic. “Jonas dead! Dad gone!” “What are you saying?” “It’s all gone wrong. You need to get out of here, too. Go, find your father!” “How? What?” “Get to my father’s office. There’s a tunnel to the vault door. I will try to talk some sense into him.”
On my way through the vault to the overseers office, I run into radroaches, security forces, and other vault dwellers. I take care of the security officers who either try to shoot or smack me with their batons. I save a few vault dwellers, including Butch’s mother. In spite of our differences, I couldn’t let her die.
When I make it to the admin level, I see the overseer and another officer have Amata and are interrogating her. The officer charges and I dispatch of him easily. I threaten the overseer for the key and password, but he refuses. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”
Inside his office, I gather some last minute supplies and use the password I found written on a piece of paper in a locker (sloppy) to open the secret tunnel. It takes me right to the vault door. After opening it, Amata meets me to say good-bye. Then, two more guards break in. I knock them both out and step into the Wasteland.
The Verdict
The first 19 years in Fallout 3 are both eventful and educational. I like how they incorporated the tutorial in the story this way. Making you a baby learning to walk and then drawing out the character stats with a baby book. It all makes perfect sense and acts as a minor jab at the need for tutorials in these games.
This game is slightly more modern than the others, so I used a more modern page for the walkthrough.
I already wrote in the plot summary that I watched Fallout episode 7 on Sunday. But, I also spent the better part of those days recovering from a nasty “summer cold”. I put that in quotes because my son Liam, in response to my thought that it could be Covid, said, “Who gets a cold in summer?” I don’t know how accurate that statement is, but I always grew up with the concept of a “summer cold” and many other things that I grew up with have been proven plainly incorrect.
Fallout episode 7 finally starts to weave together some of the stories in anticipation of the final episode. After killing a kid in front of his father to continue his reign of terror in the Wasteland, The Ghoul flashes back a couple of times to his pre-war life. This both provides comparison and contrast to his current attitude and missions that drive him. Scroll down to the character discussion for more.
In that past, Cooper reacts initially with horror and distrust of the philosophy espoused by Miss Williams. However, to his credit, he takes the bug and then later retrieves it after throwing it in the trash. He may trust his wife, but he has deep suspicions of the rest of the Vault-Tec “family”.
Likewise, Lucy learns more about the vaults that she ever hoped to know. As a result, she and Max end up leaving Vault 4. Thaddeus locks Dogmeat in a cooler before continuing to try to find a radio tower. Max and Lucy later meet up with Thaddeus at DJ Carl’s. After a tense stand off, Max comes up with a solution that gets Lucy the head. It also allows Thaddeus to escape certain torture at the hands of The Brotherhood.
Some 33ers become 32ers. Norm follows his suspicions into Vault 31 and finds that one empty, too. I nobody or nothing as it seems in this show? Hopefully, the final answers at least some of that question.
Character Profiles
The Ghoul: Morally complex is the best way I can describe him. He kills without mercy. He also saves Dogmeat from a certain death and lets the mutt tag along with him again. Then again, maybe I just can’t see his moral compass because it’s so at odds with my own. He clearly sees these events as both indicative of his “goodness”, but we are all the heroes in our own story, right?
Cooper: His former life gives some insight into the ghoul he became, as I wrote earlier. He despises Williams and the theory that she espouses. Nevertheless, he is open to bugging his wife partly in the name of dogs everywhere who are denied access to the vaults. The thing about his reticence to listen to Williams that I wonder is, is it how he truly feels or because he’s a good old boy brainwashed by his government controlled by corporate interests. More on that later.
Lucy: Ever the optimist, she continues to believe that people are good in the face of overwhelming evidence against it. Like The Ghoul, I have a tough time analyzing Lucy, but for different reasons. She’s very much like me. I continue to hold out hope that humanity will figure it out even as they hurtle us towards our own demise. Like, yeah, the initial people of Vault 4 might have been shitty, but the current residents only banished her from the vault, with supplies for two weeks. To paraphrase Men in Black, “A person is good. People are mean, vindictive demons and you know it.”
Max: I can’t tell if Max reacted to the comfort of the vault and that’s why he acted so weird or if they kept him drugged in some way. I suspect the latter because of the overall “theme” of Vault 4, but he very quickly snapped out of it when he noticed that Lucy was in trouble. His love for this woman overcame even the manipulation of drugs (?) and a comfortable lifestyle to save her.
Thaddeus: He pissed me off by locking the dog in the cooler. Now, I know that’s not a controversial take. But, I want put it out there. He almost made up for it by apologizing to Max and letting them take the head from him. Almost. Because, ultimately, that was just a selfish decision, too.
Minor characters: DJ Carl, played by Fred Armisen, is amazing. Mr. Armisen always makes me laugh no matter what he does. Moreover, he brings a humanity to his characters that makes them feel alive. The “Snake Oil Salesman” as he’s called, finally gets his hero turn. Sort of. He saves Thaddeus, but at what cost?
World Building and Setting
They dedicate most of this Fallout episode 7 to building the lore behind the vaults and some more about Vault-Tec, the company behind them. Initially, you might think that they’re earnest in their mission and built the vaults to help people survive the blasts and fallout. Then, maybe, they just got lucky. But, as more comes out, you learn that they are behind the nuclear “incidents” and that hides even more sinister objectives. Spoiler Alert: Some of these stories are awful.
Also, finally, on some level, they start to question the supposition that living in the vault is preferable to living on the surface. When they banish Lucy from the vault, she reacts with suspicion. “Really? That’s all?” Surely, she’s thinking, I just spent two weeks on the surface. And, while it might be “safer” here in the vault, one can get along just fine up there. Me? I choose the reckless life of a Wastelander any day.
Themes and Social Commentary
They pull back the curtain and put it all out there in Fallout episode 7. Part of this story is the ages old capitalism vs. communism. I’m sure some Yankee Doodle Dipshits have plenty to say about how “woke” the show is because of that. But, I appreciate Miss Williams coming out and saying, “Communism is a dirty word they use to describe people who aren’t completely insane.” And, the more you look into it, the more it makes sense.
As I’ve always said, I have no problem with someone trying to make a buck. Hell, try to make all the bucks you want. What I have a problem with is when you try to trade my or my children’s or my grandchildren’s future to make that buck. Maybe you can make a few less bucks and we can all live together on this planet? What do you think?
Yeah, I thought that’s what you’d say.
Additionally, I wrote earlier in my introduction of the plot summary, “Can anyone in this show be trusted?” You saw some of that in my character descriptions. Any time one of them seems to be “good” or “bad”, they inevitably do something to make you question that label. I get that humans are messy and we’re all a mixture of “good” and “bad”, but rarely do you get a show that so starkly and, honestly, naturally explores that dichotomy. It’s one of the reasons I watched it twice now and will again before Season 2 releases.
Narrative Pacing, Structure, and Soundtrack
The pacing still feels good. Every episode they release just a little more of the “truth” and what that truth means for our world and our characters. They’ve used flashbacks a good amount to that end, as well. The one thing that I noticed is that as the episodes advanced, the opening sequences became longer and longer. Surely that’s intentional, but I can’t figure out the intent behind it.
The soundtrack, as always, serves to enhance the mood and story. They deftly weave the oldies into the story to both cue events and also remind us of what happened previously. I also read online that they probably used the fiddle music to troll fans of one of the games because, as gamers do, they bitched about the music. If so, bravo to you all!
The Verdict
Fallout episode 7, the penultimate episode, sets things up nicely for a potentially explosive finale. Lucy has the head, Max is going to face the Brotherhood, The Ghoul has a reliable lead on Moldaver. And, back in the past, Cooper holds the potential key to blowing it all up. Yes, that pun was fully intended.
Surprisingly, I find myself with less time now that when I was in school. Okay, that probably isn’t true. But, I feel busier now with all of the things that I’m trying to catch up on. So, this Arroyo Village Part 1 journal will be shorter than the previous entry. But, I wanted to keep the momentum going, so I’ll finish up the Village during my first Final Friday Fallout 2 session in August.
Back to the Elder
I enter the Elder’s tent. She smiles when she sees me. “Ready for your quest?” She asks. “Where you trying to get me killed in that temple?” “Nonsene, Chosen One. You needed to prove yourself worthy and those trials all showed your mettle. So, ready for the quest?” “Yes,” I sigh because I must admit that she’s right. They can’t just send anyone out into the Wasteland. They’d be killed by the sheer size of the place alone.
“Good, good. This flask comes from sacred Vault 13. If you take it to Vic in Klamath, perhaps he will have some information for you.” “Vic in Klamath. Got it. Goodbye, Elder. I will not fail.
Before that, What Else in Arroyo?
I walk north to Hakunin’s tent. He greets me with eyes distant due to his chem usage that allows him to visit other realms. In flowery language, he asks me to destroy the darkness in his garden. I accept his quest with no consideration for money and he thanks me for my effort.
Two Vineplants terrorize the garden. I kill the first without much effort. Though, the plant injured me quite severely. Without any regard for my well being, I walk to the other. It kills me quickly due to the injuries sustained in the previous fight. GAME. OVER.
Or, is it? The Afterlife
Something or someone looks out for me and I find myself back in front of the Elder’s tent. I again must accept the quest from her and then go back to Hakunin’s tent. This time, I use healing powder in between the fights to help my injuries. And, as a result, I defeat the mosters and drive back the evil. Hakunin gives me more healing powder and tells me he can make even more.
Then, I go see my cousin. His dog has gone missing. I travel to the hunting grounds to find him.
To be continued…
The Verdict
So, the old adage that anything in the Wasteland can kill you holds true in Arroyo Village part 1. I died at the hands of a plant, after all. Nevertheless, the story is starting to get good and there seem to be plenty of side quests to keep me busy for the next few months as I play through the game.
Since I’m playing a game made over 25 years ago, I’m using an old school guide.
It’s that time again. I finished building and doing preliminary paints on another model. With that model and some of the others, I played through another scenario. So, along with it, I need to write the battle report 2 for Warhammer Age of Sigmar. I just realized that I forgot to get a picture of the winning message. It just excited me so much that the “good guys” came back to win this one that it slipped my mind.
Clarification
Unlike the last time, there are no rules added to the sequence. Instead, as you see, they simply clarify the processes of turns and the combat phase. As a result, I jumped right in and started playing.
Hit. Wound. Save. Repeat
I took their advice of starting with the single units during each turn. It felt like by doing so, maybe I could eliminate some of the smaller units and make subsequent turns go faster. I succeeded on some level but not nearly as much as I hoped. Instead, the Orruks overran the Praetor and joined the Killaboss to try to take out the rest of the humans.
At this point in the combat, the two forces went back and forth, eliminating several of their foes. Eventually, the teamwork and higher skill of the humans overcame the sheer violence of the orruks and defeated them with one final blow.
The Verdict
Mind you, it was a Pyrrhic victory. All but two of the humans survived and their leader died relatively early in the battle. However, they rallied and ultimately defeated their enemies. Playing through for battle report 2 went much quicker due to understanding the rules better and not having to constantly refer back to the Warscrolls during combat. Now I can’t wait for some true heroes and heroics.
After watching the show, I got the idea to do a week of Fallout content. Then, as often happens, I suffered from delusions of grandeur. Why only a week? Why not a month. Nothing scheduled for June and school ends. The Fallout from the end of school! Perfect. Las week I wrote about the first couple of sections of Fallout. This week, I continue with Fallout 2 and the Temple of Trials.
What Makes Me SPECIAL?
Note: If you never played the Fallout games, they organized character stats into the acronym, SPECIAL. In the interest of time, I consulted a walkthrough for the game.
Strength: 4
Perception: 6
Endurance: 6
Charisma: 8
Intelligence: 10
Luck: 6
Name: Lucy. Age: 21. Yes, I became that which I hate and use names from other pop culture related to the games. Sue me.
The Chosen One
Sometime in 2241: A village elder calls me into her hut.
Come in, Chosen One. The village is dying. Crops, livestock, sick children. However, there is hope. The Garden of Eden Creation Kit. It brings life to the Wasteland. It will be your main quest if you show yourself worthy. Travel to the Temple of Trials to prove yourself, find the G.E.C.K. and be our salvation.
The Chosen One?
Still in 2241 (The Temple is a short walk from the village): A guard takes me to the temple and I enter. It consists of stone corridors with lit torches on the wall. At the very least, the village knows how to set the mood. What are the trials?
At least, initially, it seems like the only trial is as exterminator. I kill bug after bug, all ants and scorpions. At the end of the hall is a locked door. I could search for a key, but it’s quicker just to pick it. Easy, peasy.
Oh crap!
This next corridor is filled with pressure plates that trigger spears shooting from the wall. No time to disarm them. Instead, I just run through and hope for the best. Then, more ants and scorpions. A chest with an antidote for the poison that the scorpions injected into me. At least they thought of that.
Another door. This one steel. I see no lock to pick. Hmm, what about these explosives that I found randomly sitting in an “inconspicuous” jar in the middle of the temple just past the massive hole in the ground? Set timer, GTFO. KABOOOM! The door is gone.
More ants and scorpions. Another chest with more antidote and healing powder. Yet another door. This one opens without picking or exploding. A guard stands before what I now assume to be the exit. He says that we must engage in unarmed combat with the victor emerging as worthy. Do we really have to fight? I ask him. Yes, of course, the elders deemed that the final test. Yes, but accidents happen. What if one of us ends up accidentally dead? I give him a look that says, “We both know which one, right?” He stammers before regathering his composure. Uh, yes, of course. I wouldn’t want to accidentally kill the chosen one. Then he runs from his post, presumably to pick on some other poor soul.
I emerge victorious. My prizes are a vault suit and the Pip Boy 2000!
The Verdict
A very different feel from the introduction of the first game. You still start the game underground in the Temple of Trials. But, after that, you go back to an above ground village to begin your main quest. I like that they changed things up because the whole starting in a vault thing, while classic, sometimes gets old. Join me in a couple of days for the next installment!
Again, because I’m playing a game made over 25 years ago, I used and old school guide.
